Debt of Gratitude

In a recent post, Beth Embry asked for prayer for Isabella Faye's Guatemalan Family. Two things that struck me about the post: her heart and mine.

Although I can't fully imagine everything Beth and John have went through during the adoption process, I can understand some of it. I know what it feels like to long for your child to be home. I know how hard it can be to keep it together, when what you really want to do is cry. Yet, in the midst of all of her own yearning to be with Isabella Faye, Beth had the ability to empathize with the foster family. She made the connection that her pain over the last year or so, would soon be their pain. Just as she has missed being with Isabella Faye, so to will her foster family miss her when she comes home.

I have to admit, before I read the post, I cannot say I gave any thought to the emotional upheaval that Sophia's foster family will face when we bring her home. All the things we have missed, they have been there. They have been the ones who have taken her to the doctor, who have fed her, who have played with her, who have watched her grow, and who have loved her. It never occurred to me that they might love Sophia as much as we do. It never occurred to me that they will miss her smile, her laugh, and her presence.

I have long known that we were given a tremendous gift when Sophia's birth mother gave her up for adoption. But, I failed to realize that the foster family, too, has given us a tremendous gift. They have provided a loving environment Sophia. They have protected her and cared for her until she can come home. It takes a special kind of person. But soon our joy will be their mourning, and although they will rejoice with Sophia that she is home with her forever family, they will mourn her absence.

I am grateful for Beth sharing her heart. I am grateful to God for opening my eyes and widening my heart. I am grateful to the birth mother who has given us our daughter. And I am grateful to the foster family that has and is caring for Sophia in our absence. Please, pray for them. Pray that God would fill them with peace and joy that Sophia is coming home. Pray that he would be with them when they miss her. And thank God with us for the great gift they have given.